home Diagnosis and diseases Three stripes on a naval uniform. Once again about vests - the history of vests

Three stripes on a naval uniform. Once again about vests - the history of vests

Vests have long ceased to be exclusively the uniform of sailors, and have migrated into the everyday wardrobe of both men and women. Answers to questions about where the tradition of wearing striped clothes came from and why different branches of the military have stripes on their vests different color, and how many of these stripes are in our educational program.

1. Why do sailors wear striped clothes?

The first people to wear striped clothing were Breton fishermen. Their robe was black and white, and it is considered the prototype of modern vests. There is no clear answer as to why the colors were this way. Most likely, the striped jacket stood out clearly against the background of the sail, and in addition, it was easy to notice the person overboard in it.
Breton sailors became the backbone of the navy in many European countries. In particular, there were quite a lot of them in the Dutch flotilla at the beginning of the 17th century. The striped uniform did not bother the Dutch and soon became widespread.

2. When did vests appear in Russia?

The appearance of vests in Russia, as in other countries, is associated with international trade activity. Russian sailors bought their first vests in Europe in mid-19th century centuries, they were valued for their warmth and convenience. In 1874, a decree came into force in Russia, according to which striped undershirts became a mandatory element of the sailors' uniform.

3. What colors are vests?

Initially, sea vests in Russia were not only of blue color. So, on the uniform of the sailors of the Baltic Flotilla the stripes were green, while those of the Amudarya Flotilla were red. Most of the flotillas still adhered to the white and blue colors in accordance with the colors of the St. Andrew's flag (the official flag of the Navy).

Currently, the color of the vest indicates the type of military service: dark blue is popular for the navy, blue for paratroopers, and cornflower blue for special forces; on the uniform of border guards it is light green, on the uniform of the Ministry of Emergency Situations it is orange.

4. Why do paratroopers wear vests?

It would seem that what can connect paratroopers and sea wolves? But no. It is believed that since 1959, vests began to be awarded to paratroopers for parachute jumping into water. In 1968, Soviet paratroopers wearing vests appeared in Prague. Since then, this uniform has become a real symbol of the Airborne Forces.

5. Where did the expression “striped devil” come from?

This is exactly what the Germans called Soviet sailors during the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. In Europe, striped clothing has long been the lot of declassed elements - executioners, heretics, lepers. The sight of Soviet marines in vests terrified their enemies.

6. How many stripes are there on the vest?

On vests different countries The number of stripes is different. Thus, in France it is customary to apply 21 stripes in honor of Napoleon’s victories (this is relevant for ground forces). Another symbolic meaning: 21 is a number that brings success in card game"Blackjack", popular among sailors.

The British and Dutch have much fewer stripes - only 12. It is believed that this tradition was preserved from Breton sailors, who applied the number of stripes to sweaters according to the number of ribs in a person. This was a kind of symbolic “disguise” as a ghost skeleton in order to deceive fate.

In Russia, the number of stripes is not regulated, but their width is precisely established - 11.11 mm each. Accordingly, than larger size product, there are more stripes on it.

Read how to wear a vest and other vests for women in our fashion review.

The vest in Russia is more than just an item of military uniform, it is a legend, tradition, history. It’s not for nothing that the vest from a typical naval uniform has expanded to cover all types of troops modern Russia, while acquiring a variety of colors.

The nautical undershirt with blue and white stripes has a long history dating back to the days of the sailing fleet. It is known that it was introduced into wide use by Dutch sailors. The Dutch naval uniform with a short black peacoat, bell-bottom trousers, a blue flannel jacket with a large cutout on the chest and an undershirt with blue stripes became popular in many countries.

However, the vest was “invented” not by the Dutch, but by the Bretons back in the 16th century. Breton sailors wore knitted jersey shirts with 12 (the number of ribs in the human body) black stripes - this is how they tried to deceive their death, which would take the sailors for skeletons and begin to touch them. When not on duty, sailors knitted their own undershirts, which were practical, comfortable, did not restrict movement and protected from the cold.

In Russia, the vest became part of the uniform of the Navy in the second half of the 19th century. At that time, military reform was carried out in Russia with changes in the structure, weapons and, of course, uniforms of military personnel, including sailors. In 1874, Emperor Alexander II approved the “Regulations on the allowance of the commands of the Naval Department in terms of ammunition and uniforms,” which, in particular, spoke about uniforms for the “lower ranks of ships and naval crews” of the Russian fleet. The vest was defined as follows: “A shirt knitted from wool in half with paper; The color of the shirt is white with blue transverse stripes, spaced one inch apart (4.445 cm). The width of the blue stripes is a quarter of an inch... The weight of the shirt is supposed to be at least 80 spools (344 grams)...".

Sailors of the ship Varyag

At first, vests were purchased abroad, and only then production was established in Russia. Mass manufacturing production of vests first began at the Kersten factory (by the way, the German Friedrich-Wilhelm Kersten in 1870 received a medal at the All-Russian Manufacture Exhibition and the title of hereditary honorary citizen of St. Petersburg) in St. Petersburg (after the revolution - the Red Banner factory).

The stripes of the vest acquired the same size and width of about 1 cm only in 1912, and the composition of the material and the vest began to be made from cotton. The vest has remained in this form to this day. Its characteristics are determined by GOST 25904-83 “Knitted marine sweatshirts and T-shirts for military personnel. Are common technical specifications" This GOST determines both the composition and quality of knitted material for tailoring, vests, and its “design”.

The vest became not only a convenient and practical item for a naval sailor, but also a symbol of masculinity, valor, perseverance, and true masculine character. People leaving the Navy and in civilian life continued to wear a vest as a symbol of their involvement in a special type of troops. Over time, the vest was introduced into the uniform for the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) in 1969, but the color of the stripes was sky blue. And the history of the appearance of the vest by Airborne Forces employees is as follows.

Vest in the Airborne Forces

In 1959, exercises were conducted on mass water landings. The weather was very rainy and windy, and headquarters officers led by General Lisov jumped from the first plane. We jumped from a height of 450 meters. The last to jump was Colonel V.A. Ustinovich. After he climbed out of the water onto the shore, he took out his naval vests from his bosom and handed them to the landing participants, as a symbol that the landing was carried out on the water. Since then, it has become a tradition to present vests to those who, in addition to the usual landing, also jumped onto the water. V.F. Margelov, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, began to promote the idea of introducing the vest as an element of the Airborne Forces uniform. Only the vest for the paratroopers was decided to be made not with dark blue stripes, but with light blue ones. The first to wear them were units and formations of the Airborne Forces that took part in the events in Czechoslovakia in 1968. On July 26, 1969, by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 191, new rules for wearing military uniforms were introduced, in which the wearing of a vest in the Airborne Forces was officially enshrined.

Paratroopers in blue vests

Vest with green stripes

Since the 1990s, vests with stripes of different colors began to appear in other troops. This is how border guards began to wear vests with green stripes. The paratroopers who served at that time say that at the end of the 80s the Vitebsk Airborne Division was transferred to the KGB of the USSR, as a result of which the blue vests and berets were “repainted” in green color, which was perceived by former paratroopers as an insult to them military honor. However, after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the division went to Belarus, where it again became an airborne unit. But the tradition of border guards wearing green vests remains.

Vests in the Russian Armed Forces

By Presidential Decree Russian Federation No. 532 of May 8, 2005 “On military uniform clothes, insignia of military personnel and departmental insignia" were, in particular, determined the colors of vests for various branches of the Russian Armed Forces, namely:

Navy - dark blue vests

Airborne Forces - blue vests

border troops - light green vests,

special forces of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - maroon vests,

FSB special forces, Presidential Regiment - cornflower blue vests

Ministry of Emergency Situations - orange vests

Also naval vest with dark blue stripes is included in the uniform of cadets of naval and civil sea and river educational institutions.

As you can see, there is nothing mentioned here about a black vest! It is often attributed to submarine units and Marine Corps, but in accordance with Decree No. 532 they have the same vest as ordinary military personnel of the Russian Navy, that is, with dark blue stripes.

In general, the introduction of vests various colors for different branches of the military, the authority of the vest was somewhat lowered, but, nevertheless, this does not apply to naval and landing vests with dark blue and light blue stripes.

Voentorg "Patriot" offers Navy vests, Airborne vests, Marine Corps vests and Airborne vests wholesale and retail. You can buy vests in Yekaterinburg or Nizhny Tagil, and also order them through our online store. Wholesalers and group purchases receive special conditions.

The vest in Russia is more than just an item of military uniform, it is a legend, tradition, history. It’s not for nothing that the vest, from a typically naval uniform, has expanded to cover all branches of the military in modern Russia, acquiring a variety of colors.

Marine vest

In Russia, the vest became part of the uniform of the Navy in the second half of the 19th century. At that time, military reform was carried out in Russia with changes in the structure, weapons and, of course, uniforms of military personnel, including sailors. In 1874, Emperor Alexander II approved “Regulations on the allowance of the commands of the Maritime Department in terms of ammunition and uniforms”, which, in particular, talked about uniforms for the “lower ranks of ships and naval crews” of the Russian fleet. The vest was defined as follows: “A shirt knitted from wool in half with paper; The color of the shirt is white with blue transverse stripes, spaced one inch apart (4.445 cm). The width of the blue stripes is a quarter of an inch... The weight of the shirt is supposed to be at least 80 spools (344 grams)...".

At first, vests were purchased abroad, and only then production was established in Russia. Mass manufacturing of vests first began in Kersten factory (By the way, the German Friedrich-Wilhelm Kersten in 1870 received a medal of the All-Russian Manufacture Exhibition and the title of hereditary honorary citizen of St. Petersburg) in St. Petersburg (after the revolution - Factory "Red Banner").

Vest stripes acquired the same size and width about 1 cm Only in 1912 was the composition of the material changed and the vest began to be made from cotton. The vest has remained in this form to this day. Its characteristics are defined GOST 25904-83 “Knitted marine sweatshirts and T-shirts for military personnel. General technical conditions". This GOST determines both the composition and quality of knitted material for tailoring, vests, and its “design”.

The vest has become not only a convenient and practical item for a naval sailor, but also a symbol of masculinity, valor, perseverance, and true masculine character. People leaving the Navy and in civilian life continued to wear a vest as a symbol of their involvement in a special type of troops. Over time, the vest was introduced into the uniform for the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) in 1969, but the color of the stripes was sky blue. And the history of the appearance of the vest by Airborne Forces employees is as follows.

Vest in the Airborne Forces

In 1959, exercises were conducted on mass water landings. The weather was very rainy and windy, and headquarters officers led by General Lisov jumped from the first plane. We jumped from a height of 450 meters. The last to jump was Colonel V.A. Ustinovich. After he climbed out of the water onto the shore, he took out his naval vests from his bosom and handed them to the landing participants, as a symbol that the landing was carried out on the water. Since then, it has become a tradition to present vests to those who, in addition to the usual landing, also jumped onto the water. V.F. Margelov, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, began to promote the idea of introducing the vest as an element of the Airborne Forces uniform. Only the vest for the paratroopers was decided to be made not with dark blue stripes, but with light blue ones. The first to wear them were units and formations of the Airborne Forces that took part in the events in Czechoslovakia in 1968. July 26, 1969 by order USSR Ministry of Defense No. 191 Regular rules for wearing military uniforms were introduced, in which the wearing of a vest in the Airborne Forces was officially enshrined.

Vest with green stripes

Since the 1990s, vests with stripes of different colors began to appear in other troops. This is how border guards began to wear vests with green stripes. The paratroopers who served at that time say that in the late 80s the Vitebsk Airborne Division was transferred to the KGB of the USSR, as a result of which the blue vests and berets were “repainted” green, which was perceived by the former paratroopers as an insult to their military honor. However, after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the division went to Belarus, where it again became an airborne unit. But the tradition of border guards wearing green vests remains.

Vests in the Russian Armed Forces

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 532 of May 8, 2005 “On military uniforms, military insignia and departmental insignia”, in particular, determined the colors of vests for various branches of the Russian Armed Forces, namely:

Navy– dark blue vests

Airborne Forces- blue vests

border troops- light green vests,

special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs- maroon vests,

FSB special forces, Presidential Regiment- cornflower blue vests

Ministry of Emergency Situations- orange vests

Also, a naval vest with dark blue stripes is included in the uniform of cadets of naval and civilian maritime and river educational institutions.

As you can see, nothing is stated here about black vest! It is often attributed to submarine and marine units, but in accordance with Decree No. 532, they have the same vest as ordinary military personnel of the Russian Navy, that is, with dark blue stripes.

In general, the introduction of vests of different colors for different branches of the military has somewhat diminished the authority of the vest, but, nevertheless, this does not apply to naval and landing vests with dark blue and light blue stripes.

Vest in modern fashion

The vest, as a rule, a “real” naval vest with dark blue stripes, has become popular among the civilian population; it is worn not only by adult men, but often by children, and sometimes by women. A famous popularizer of this “striped shirt” was the French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who in the 1990s created several sets of clothes with blue and white stripes. IN recent years a “vest” with stripes appeared Pink colour! Such an outrage against the symbol of military valor and bravery is difficult for courageous guys who served and are serving in the Navy or Airborne Forces to endure, but it should be taken as a joke, even stupidity. Nevertheless, the theme of the nautical vest has become popular in fashion and periodically appears in women's costumes.

Mitki and vest

People of the older generation, those whose youth fell in the 80s of the last century, remember such a group of alternative artists called Mitki (formally, this group still exists today, although the spirit of that time has a different intensity).

The Mitki chose a vest as an element of clothing, as some kind of identification mark. Perhaps in Everyday life They also wore something other than a vest, but when they gathered for any occasion, they all certainly put on vests.

Despite the current availability of vests and their variety of colors, they should be treated not just as comfortable fashionable clothing, but as a military symbol with a long tradition, especially for “real” vests with dark blue naval and light blue Airborne stripes. It is not recommended for civilians to wear maroon vests, the right to wear which, like the right to a maroon beret, is earned by members of the special forces of the Internal Troops through hard work, or at least this was the case a few years ago.

Underwear naval shirt - this is it sea vest, which should be made of knitted fabric with a peculiar alternation of white and blue stripes.

The first mention of the appearance of the vest dates back to the time of the appearance of the sailing fleet. Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov is the founder of the introduction of this element of clothing into the equipment of sailors.

Features of vests

Like any other thing naval vest also has its own distinctive features. These primarily include horizontally alternating blue and white stripes. This unusual color design initially made it possible to observe the work and actions of the sailors, both on deck and with sails on the yards. Subsequently, the presence of stripes on the vest became a kind of tradition.

From the very beginning of its appearance, vests exclusively with dark blue stripes were supplied to the personnel of the USSR and the Russian Navy. After some time, a black and blue vest appeared as an addition to the uniform. The Marines of the Great Patriotic War, like the revolutionary sailors of the Civil War, with their exploits made the vest a real romantic symbol of sea prowess and courage.

The vest eventually became very popular among the common population. Its other name, which sounds like “sea soul,” speaks volumes about the fame and demand for this clothing brand.

Purpose of vests

During the creation of the uniform of the USSR airborne troops, the naval infantry uniform was taken as a model. For military personnel summer time a vest is intended, or, in other words, a sleeveless vest. The sailors' uniform also includes insulated winter vests made of thick cotton jersey, with or without fleece.

In the early nineties of the last century, manufacturers developed a vest with stripes of various colors, which later became indispensable for various troops of the Russian Armed Forces:

black vest found application in the Submarine Forces and the Marine Corps;
cornflower blue vests entered the uniform of the Presidential Regiment and FSB special forces;
light green vest used in the Border Troops;
the Airborne Forces vest has light blue stripes;
maroon vests intended for troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Botsman store carries out sale of vests wholesale and retail. In addition, the store sells various workwear, naval uniforms, naval souvenirs and personal protective equipment.

The history of the vest. The vest appeared during the heyday of the sailing fleet in Brittany (France), presumably in the 17th century. The vests had a boat neckline and three-quarter sleeves and were white with dark blue stripes. In Europe at that time, striped clothes were worn by social outcasts and professional executioners. But for Breton sailors, according to one version, a vest was considered lucky clothing for sea voyages. In Russia, the tradition of wearing vests began to take shape, according to some sources, in 1862, according to others, in 1866. Instead of narrow jackets with uncomfortable stand-up collars, Russian sailors began to wear comfortable flannel Dutch shirts with a cutout on the chest. A vest shirt was worn under the shirt. At first, vests were issued only to participants of long-distance hikes and were a source of special pride. As one of the reports of that time says: “lower ranks... mainly wore them on Sundays and holidays during shore leave... and in all cases when it was necessary to be smartly dressed...". The vest was finally established as part of the uniform by an order signed on August 19, 1874 by Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. This day can be considered the birthday of the Russian vest. The vest has a great advantage over other underwear shirts. Fitted tightly to the body, it does not interfere with free movement during work, retains heat well, is convenient to wash, and dries quickly in the wind. This type of light sea clothing has not lost its importance today, although sailors now rarely have to climb the shrouds. Over time, the vest came into use in other branches of the military, although in few places it is an official part of the uniform. However, this item of clothing is also used in ground forces, and even in the police. Why is the vest striped and what does the color of the stripes mean? The blue and white transverse stripes of the vests corresponded to the colors of the Russian naval St. Andrew's flag. In addition, sailors dressed in such shirts were clearly visible from the deck against the background of the sky, sea and sails. The tradition of making multi-colored stripes was strengthened in the 19th century. The color determined whether a sailor belonged to a particular flotilla. After the collapse of the USSR, the colors of the vest stripes were “distributed” among the various branches of the military. What does the color of the stripes on the vest mean: black: submarine forces and marines; cornflower blue: presidential regiment and FSB special forces; light green: border troops; light blue: Airborne Forces; maroon: Ministry of Internal Affairs; orange: Ministry of Emergency Situations. What is guy? In the navy, a guy is called a collar that is tied over the uniform. The real meaning of the word geus (from the Dutch geus flag) is a naval flag. The flag is raised daily on the bow of ships of the 1st and 2nd ranks during anchorage from 8 a.m. to sunset. The history of the appearance of the guy is quite prosaic. In the Middle Ages in Europe, men wore long hair or wigs, sailors braided their hair in ponytails and braids. To protect against lice, hair was smeared with tar. To prevent tar from staining their clothes, the sailors covered their shoulders and back with a protective leather collar, which could be easily wiped clean from dirt. Over time, the leather collar was replaced with a fabric one. Long hairstyles are a thing of the past, but the tradition of wearing a collar remains. In addition, after the abolition of wigs, a square cloth collar was used for insulation in cold windy weather; it was tucked under clothing. Why are there three stripes on the butt? There are several versions of the origin of the three stripes on the butt. According to one of them, three stripes symbolize three major victories of the Russian fleet: at Gangut in 1714; at Chesma in 1770; at Sinop in 1853. It should be noted that sailors from other countries also have stripes on their butts, the origin of which is explained in a similar way. Most likely, this repetition occurred as a result of borrowing the form and legend. It is not known for certain who first invented stripes. According to another legend, the founder of the Russian fleet, Peter I, had three squadrons. The first squadron had one white stripe on its collars. The second has two stripes, and the third, especially close to Peter, has three stripes. Thus, the three stripes began to mean that the naval guard was especially close to Peter.

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